Photo: Toronto Maple Leafs rookie forward Nikita Soshnikov had produced 28 points in 50 AHL games for the Toronto Marlies before his current call-up to the NHL (courtesy of Nick Turchiaro/Icon Sportswire)

Prospect Impressions is on fire this week, with a pair of first NHL goals from the Toronto Maple Leafs and the first battle in the McDavid vs. Eichel throwdown. College hockey’s undisputed top line produced two highlight-worthy goals this week, and we have plenty more coverage of all three CHL leagues. Read more»

Photo: Two of the USHL’s top scorers, Fargo Force forward Denis Smirnov and Lincoln Stars forward Tanner Laczynski, will go head-to-head this weekend in a top USHL prospect showdown (courtesy of Mitch Highman/MJoy Photography and Brandon Anderson/BA Photos)

This week’s Prospect Faceoff is loaded with powerhouse matchups from around North America. The Ottawa Senators will be interested in the result from a game in Shawinigan this weekend, and scouts from the NHL will be on hand in Fargo as the Lincoln Stars pay them the Fargo Force visit. We’ll check-in with the most recent members of the 100-point club from the OHL and WHL, and an often discussed Calgary Flames prospect is in action as his NCAA career winds down. Read more»

Year after year in the Kevin Lowe era, the Edmonton Oilers have relied upon rookies to play at the top level of hockey. Players like Sam Gagner, Andrew Cogliano, Ladislav Smid, Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Nail Yakupov, and Justin Schultz have been asked to come in and play veteran roles in minutes they weren’t yet ready to handle. The results have been predictably poor for this once-proud franchise. Read more»

Photo: Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin has been a top NHL rookie from the start of the 2015-16 season, which earned him a place in the 2016 NHL All-Star Game that took place at the end of January (courtesy of Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)